Will the Cold Put a Bite Into Your Calving Season?
Breeding soundness exams identify bull fertility issues from frostbite.
The effects of the pre-Christmas arctic blast experienced across much of the country this winter will not be forgotten anytime soon and may leave lingering effects. The bull battery often does not get close attention during the winter months, and some may have lacked adequate bedding or wind protection needed to prevent scrotal frostbite. Older bulls with pendulous scrotums seem more prone to issues than yearling bulls.
Winter Feeding for Young Bulls
This ranch feeds a palatable, high-quality forage ration to yearling bulls in the winter.
Kenny Hinkle of Hinkle’s Prime Cut Angus, near Nevada, Mo., says their program focuses on developing young bulls for sale. “Our development program is a little different from some, but the main thing we do in winter — without stockpiled fescue pastures — is to provide a high-quality forage and have it in front of those young bulls at all times to give them as much as they want to eat,” he says.
Rural Veterinary Shortages Create Risks for U.S. Food System
Report highlights risks, offers solutions.
The United States is facing an alarming shortfall of veterinarians to treat livestock and poultry in rural areas, threatening public health, food safety and economic growth in communities that depend on agriculture, according to a new report commissioned by the Farm Journal Foundation.
January 11, 2023 | Vol. 15 : No. 1-A
Creative Feed Strategies for Wintering Cows Helpful, but Costly
With hay in short supply, cattle producers are trying to avoid herd liquidation this winter by feeding alternative feedstuffs.
Paul Beck, Oklahoma State University Extension beef nutritionist, says there are several ways concentrate feed can be used to meet a cow’s nutrient requirements. Although these other feed resources are available, all feed costs are high and will require additional labor and management for a winter feeding program.
Grant Supports Study to Improve Hay Market Efficiency
A lack of hay market information prompts UTIA study to determine what buyers value.
A team of research and extension faculty from the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is launching a study to improve price discovery and market transparency in hay markets. These improvements will help create a more efficient market and provide valuable information that benefits buyers and sellers of hay.
Innovative Bovine Research Boosts Understanding of Female Infertility
UNL studies of the reproductive biology of cows offer significant long-term potential to address infertility challenges for women.
Reproductive physiologist Andrea Cupp and colleagues in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) are deepening the understanding of bovine reproductive biology by using advanced genetic analysis, culture of reproductive tissue and other tools.
